


New Recruits

by supershadsy



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: First Dates, M/M, Meet-Cute, Role Reversal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:34:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25615945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/supershadsy/pseuds/supershadsy
Summary: 1st-class SOLDIER Cloud Strife gains a new protegee...one with a lot more gumption than he could ever dream of, and one with more than just the mission on his mind.
Relationships: Zack Fair/Cloud Strife
Comments: 5
Kudos: 38
Collections: FF7 Fanworks Exchange '20





	New Recruits

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ZScalantian](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZScalantian/gifts).



> I had a few prompts for this, and I suppose I went for something more in my ballpark. ZScalantian, if I come back to the Cowboy Bebop style space opera AU idea I had some thoughts for, you'll be the first to know! In the meantime, please enjoy! (Also, in this world Modeoheim isn't abandoned, I took some liberties :P)

Just outside of Modeoheim in a makeshift base, the air was so cold that Cloud could see his breath in front of him. It seemed to crystalize as soon as it left his lips, and if he was walking at any brisk pace, it would form a frosted mustache on his upper lip. He shivered in his jacket, despite the warmth the leather provided (it was a replica of Sephiroth’s, something that gave him quiet pride). But, today was a special sort of mission. Not because of what he was doing, far from it, but who he was doing it with. 

“Fair’s a handful,” Angeal had advised him before he packed up from Midgar. “He’s one of those new kids that really announces when he’s arrived. You know the type.” 

Cloud did, indeed. He assumed with some amusement that Genesis was also one of those types, once upon a time. But you could rank into 1st-class without being flashy and pretentious, or a war hero. There were some folks at Shinra who really _did_ appreciate hard work—Angeal Hewley was one of them, and his successful protege Cloud Strife was another. 

The carrier van door slammed behind him, and out trudged Zack Fair in only the most basic of infantry class dress. “Woo! All right, my first mission out!” he whooped, clapping his hands together. “Yeah, all right!” 

Cloud raised an eyebrow—Zack’s enthusiasm for a patrol mission was downright unparalleled. Nonetheless, he smiled as well…though he tried his best to hide it with a film of disapproval. 

“Don’t you have a better jacket?” Cloud asked, hugging his arms. “You’re gonna freeze out here, especially if we take the snowmobile.” 

Zack was taking huge arched steps, like a clumsy puppy witnessing snow for the first time, and stopped dead in his tracks. “Snowmobile? Really?!” He whipped around with a huge grin. “Aw man, where is it? Is it that beaut over there?” 

Said snowmobile was parked at the top of the hill—it was a perfect, glossy black with chrome on the underside reflecting the ice blue of compacted snow. Zack abandoned his clumsy stride and bolted right for it, kicking up the light and fluffy frost…blowing straight into Cloud’s face. 

Cloud spit and wiped down his mouth with his glove, shaking his head. _Hoo boy,_ he thought as he caught up with Zack. _Handful is right._ “Don’t get too eager,” he said. “I’ll be driving—and did you hear what I said about your coat?” 

“Huh? Oh, yeah, I’m good,” Zack replied. Cloud stared at his biceps, reddening from the cold. “See, I learned back home that if you bundle up too much when you’re out working, you sweat, and then you get even colder. You wanna start light, and then layer up.” 

“Uh-huh,” Cloud said with a nod. “Well, I don’t know how good that’s going to do you on here.” 

Zack twisted his mouth, the gears turning in his brain. _You know, the wind? The snow flicking up, then turning wet against your damn bare arms? That’s going to make you more cold?_ Cloud hoped this realization would dawn on him, but instead, Zack shrugged. “Eh, I’ll deal. I’m hot blooded, I’m hotter than a furnace. No worries!” 

Cloud stared at him. _You’re kind of an idiot, aren’t you?_ The earnest sparkle in his deep blue eyes overwhelmed him nonetheless. “Here…why don’t you…just bring something, just in case.” And when Zack opened his mouth to protest, he added: “That’s an order.” 

Zack straightened up, a full head (and then some) taller than Cloud. “Yes, sir! You got it!”

You don’t have to call me “sir”, Cloud thought, watching him sprint back with considerable speed. Cloud’s fine. 

_(“Strife,” Sephiroth said, his nose in a ream of papers. “Could you take this upstairs to be filed? I have an obligation.”_

_He handed off the paperwork, barely offering Cloud a look before turning on his heel and heading down the other corridor. Cloud clutched the papers tightly, leather squeaking in his gloves. “S-sure,” he said, then, “wait, Sephiroth…”_

_He paused, offering his face in profile. “Ah, if you’re…if you wanted to train together sometime,” Cloud stumbled, instantly feeling very stupid, “I’m…I’d be up for it.”_

_Sephiroth studied Cloud, then glanced down at the floor. “I’ll get back to you,” he replied, then walked away without fanfare.)_

The memory made Cloud cringe—even as a fellow 1st, why would the top general have time to spar with him? _I thought if he had time to go off with Angeal and Genesis, maybe I could have some training too._ He sighed to himself. _They’re his best friends, so of course they get special treatment._

Zack returned in a frightening amount of time, which was barely any at all. “Okay, got my jacket,” he said, toting it under his arm. “So where’re we goin’, what are we doin’, what’s the scoop, 1st-class 2nd-commander Strife? Or Cloud? Can I call you Cloud?” 

He was a whirlwind of erratic energy, so much so that it made Cloud dizzy. Or was it the pounding of his heart in his chest? Suddenly, the frost wasn’t permeating his face, for it was radiating more warmth that it could stick to. “Yeah,” Cloud replied, a little breathless. “That’s fine…Zack.” 

Zack beamed. It was a smile that engulfed his entire face, ear to ear, shining with a simplicity of heart and an eagerness to please. Cloud thought it so bright that he assumed the sun had crept out from behind the clouds, but their surroundings were still bound to the white gray of the overcast snow. _Okay, pull it together, Cloud._

“Right,” he said, and cleared his throat. “We’re going to ride out due north, and then keep a lookout along the woods near Modeoheim. Pretty straightforward.”

“Cool, cool,” Zack replied, hands on his hips. “Let’s get going then, shall we?” 

That’s my line, Cloud thought, but nodded an affirmative, and climbed onto the snowmobile. Inside his jacket, he fished out a pair of goggles and placed them firmly on his face. “Do you have a helmet or goggles?” he asked. 

“No,” Zack replied. “Man, I hate that dopey helmet. Makes me feel like a bug-eyed alien. I wanna be a man of the people, y’know?”

Cloud rolled his eyes. “Well…” _You should be written up for that, but…_ He glanced back, where Zack gave him a shrug and a sheepish grin. _Damn it._ “It's not about making a fashion statement. Just…tuck close to me so you don’t get snow in your eyes, all right?” 

“Roger.” 

With a sigh, Cloud turned the key and the machine rumbled to life. As he reached forward on the handlebars, Zack hunched forward as well, wrapping his arms around Cloud’s waist. Cloud swallowed hard, light-headed. Zack’s arms were long enough, and he was small enough so that Zack could reach around his entire waist. _I said what I said, didn’t I?_ Cloud thought incredulously, feeling as if he was going to sink right into the engine. _Tuck close so you don’t get snow in your eyes, yup, uh-huh. That’s it._

_A handsome guy with huge arms and a nice smile hugs you, and you nearly have a stroke…_

Vigorously, Cloud shook his head and cranked the throttle back, lurching the snowmobile forward. Hopefully the spray of snow and the drive would bring back his focus. And it did. For a moment, anyway.

They drove in relative silence as Zack rested his head on Cloud’s back. _It would be my luck that some random private would take one look at me and immediately get attached. “You’ve got that face,” Angeal said, “that says ‘you can come talk to me about anything’.” I don’t believe that for a half a second, given how little friends I had back home…_

_…and_ now _, come to think of it._

“Hey!” Zack shouted above the wind and noise. He coughed and sputtered, due to what Cloud could only assume was a mouthful of gusting wind. “Say, you’ve got a pretty good handle on this!”

“Standard vehicle training,” Cloud replied, eyes on the snow dunes ahead of him. 

“Oh yeah, ‘course.” Zack leaned in so his head was perched on Cloud’s hunched shoulder. He still had to shout to be heard. “Where are you from, anyway? You don’t strike me as a city kinda guy—“ 

“I’m from Nibelheim,” he replied. Cloud took a sharp turn to stay on course, causing Zack to clutch him tighter. The wooded area was just ahead, and he double checked his dashboard map to be sure. “It’s a reactor town, so there’s…” 

Zack laughed out loud. “Nothing there! Dude!” He squeezed him again, despite Cloud downshifting and slowing down. “I’m from Gongaga! Bet you’ve never heard of it either!” 

Cloud had, but only in passing. In fact, Cloud could have easily guessed that Zack was from some kind of small town, given his boisterous nature like a big fish from a small pond, but he kept it to himself. “We’re both country boys, then,” Cloud murmured.

It was mostly to himself, but Zack was close enough to hear it. Cloud was close enough to feel Zack smile against his back. 

“We’re here,” Cloud announced. 

He shut off the engine, and watched as Zack clenched his jaw from the cold while putting on his jacket. _Told you it’d be cold,_ Cloud thought, biting back a smile. _Some people have to learn for themselves._ Cloud led the way—the snow was more packed down through this trail, splitting one way through the woods marked with orange tape, and another down over the hillside, where a small village sat. The entirety of the village could be seen from their vantage point, with smoke pluming from chimneys and lights in windows. _It’s like a snow globe,_ he thought.

“Aw, look at that cute little town down there,” Zack remarked. “Surprised there isn’t a reactor out here, either.” 

“They’re planning on one,” Cloud replied, pointing into the woods. “I think they want to clear out a lot of this forest and set it up here, hence all the patrols.” 

“Keeping an eye on the wildlife?” 

“More like the people. There’s been some backlash from the community.” Cloud’s brow furrowed: the politics irritated him. _By all rights, we shouldn't be out here doing this anyway._ “‘Course they don’t want anyone to drill out here, but as far as I know, electricity gets crazy expensive out this way. It’d be cheaper if there were a reactor...so they’re banking on that to get public approval.” 

Zack nodded with a twist of his mouth. “Guess SOLDIER life isn’t as glamorous as it seems, huh?” 

“It’s…all right,” Cloud admitted. “I don’t mind it. You get slow missions like this, and then you’ll have some high stakes ones where you’re looking for monsters—“

“Aw, really?!” Zack exclaimed, jumping into the air. “Man, I should’ve been put on one of those ones!” 

Cloud snorted, crossing his arms. “Maybe you should’ve been assigned to Genesis. He’s out doing those things all the time.” _When he’s not playing hooky._

Zack made a face. “No way. I can’t stand that guy. Now he’s someone who’s probably a city slicker, doesn’t know jack about these parts, about the countryside, the nobody towns—“

His rant amused Cloud, and he took note of every minute expression he made. “He’s from Banora, y’know. Just like Angeal.”

Cloud’s favorite expression was the clueless one he made just then. He imagined dog ears perking up when he cocked his head. “Huh?” Zack said.

“You didn’t know that?” Cloud replied with a smirk. “Hell, Genesis was in all those Banora White Apple Juice commercials.” 

“That was him?!” 

“Uh-huh.” 

“No shit.” Zack waved his hand. “Well, who cares about him anyway. Him and his stupid little book he totes around…” He almost looked back at Cloud, but focused on the little town below. “Nah, it’s you who I was hoping to be assigned to…”

Cloud blinked. “M…me?” He understood that someone like Genesis was known due to his infinite pretentiousness, or Sephiroth because of his infamy in the war. But him? Cloud always thought of himself as another rung in the ladder, even when he did crawl his way up to 1st-class. To be known—to be sought after— _that_ was something else entirely. 

“Yeah.” Zack gestured in the air in front of him, painting a picture with the vague swishing of his hands. “Sephiroth is cool, but like…untouchable. But you’re like…cool and down to earth. You feel me?” 

The word “cool” flashed in Cloud’s head like a big neon sign, adorned in bright flashing colors. He couldn’t recall ever being called “cool”. Tifa didn’t call him cool. Even his own mother had never uttered the word.

His disbelief and amazement was clearly scrawled on his face, as Zack pointed it out immediately. “Look at you, I made you blush!” he exclaimed, pink in the cheeks himself. “I mean it, though. I’m always all over the place, and you seem like you know what you’re doing.”

_Hardly,_ Cloud thought, unable to rip his gaze from Zack’s clear, deep blue eyes. 

“W-well, I’ll…I’m doing the best I can,” Cloud managed to sputter, and tentatively patted Zack on the back. “Are you looking to jump up the ranks?” 

“Hell yeah!” Zack beamed again, and Cloud felt his hand stuck to his back, as if it were attached via super glue. “I want to be 1st-class, just like you!”

The phrase rang in his ears. _Just like you._

“Then we can hang out more!” he continued. 

A Shinra branded truck motored through on the road below them and honked its horn. Instinctively, Cloud waved at it as it went on through. This gave him time to process his next move, which would have been helpful if his mind hadn’t been reduced to soft butter. “Well, there’s nothing saying we can’t hang out now,” he said.

Zack snorted. “I mean, I wouldn’t call a mission ‘hanging out’.” 

“No, like…outside of work,” Cloud clarified. He was finally able to let his hand slide down Zack’s back, off his side. “You know, go out some place—“

To his surprise, Zack caught his hand before it fell to his side, Cloud’s palm between his thumb and fingers. “So, a date?” he asked. 

Cloud felt hot enough to melt a puddle in the snow, right down to the wilted, brown grass sleeping beneath his feet. “Ah…if you want to call it that,” he said slowly.

Zack seemed to glow in a different light. He was strikingly handsome, from his boyish smile, to his broad shoulders and chest and well-defined chin. Cloud noticed a simple stud earring in his left ear, mimicking the one he wore, a sparkling silver. _Yes,_ Cloud thought dizzily, _I do want him to call it that._

“Great!” Zack chirped. “It’s a date! I can’t wait.” 

He squeezed his hand before letting it go, and then, after a split second of hesitation, bent down and gave Cloud a peck on his cheek. Zack pointedly turned away, fluffing the back of his spiked black hair. “So, yeah, some patrol, huh? How long are we out here for, anyway? Couple hours?” 

Cloud was left holding the side of his face. He suspected that he would be warm enough to last the entire rest of the patrol without his jacket. _Angeal said he’d be a “handful”,_ Cloud thought, staring up at the overcast sky. _He did not mention that he’d attempt to sweep me off my feet in a matter of one patrol._

_(love at first sight)_

“We’ve got a little bit still,” Cloud said. “Before we head back in, I’ll get you a coffee from the village down there. My treat.” 

“Sounds good,” Zack replied. When he turned back toward Cloud, his face was still a bright pink. _Brave private asking a 1st-class on a date,_ Cloud thought, amused. _I like it._


End file.
